Persephone Deal
by CeCe Away
Summary: Tag to 8.06 There's a reason Sam didn't try to find a way to get Dean out of Purgatory. Hurt/traumatized Sam Angst Dean Benny & Amelia


Takes place following 8:06 Southern Comfort.

I don't believe for one minute that Sam simply left Dean hanging, not without being coerced or promised some kind of help if he dropped hunting and laid low.

There's a reason Sam didn't try to find a way to get Dean out of Purgatory and since we won't know what it is for a while, I'm just making up by own for the meantime.

**Persephone Deal**

Dean dropped to the floor just as Sam sailed over him and smashed into the already broken window.

Sonuvabich, this spirit was going down. Dean tossed the antique locket into the already salted and blazing fireplace just before Miss Henrietta Crazy Butcher Bitch lifted him off the ground, feet pinwheeling in the air, until Miss Henrietta burned up in a roaring flash of blue flame and Dean dropped to his button the floor. Plumes of dust swirled up around him.

"Sammy." He immediately looked to where his brother had been tossed.

"Present." Sam pulled himself up by the window frame. "You?"

"And accounted for." Unlike Sam, Dean decided that sitting on the floor for a few minutes more was a phenomenally good idea until a sucking hiss from Sam brought him instantly to his feet.

Sam was half bent over and twisting toward his side.

"What'd you do?" Dean stomped over.

"Nothing," Sam gritted, twisting harder to reach around his own back. "Piece of glass."

"Don't rip it out, genius. Let me have a look."

"I got it." Sam spun away from him, giving Dean a flash of a hand-sized shard of dirty window embedded in the back side of Sam's waist.

"Sam." Not to be put off from a stubborn hurt little brother, Dean grabbed Sam's reaching arm, shoved him face first against the wall and grabbed the bottom of Sam's shirts for a better look of how deep the glass had gone in.

"Hey!" Sam pushed back, but Dean held his arm across his back.

"Quit being a little—" Dean got the shirts up only inches when his stomach dropped to his feet.

Wrenching away, Sam glared at him. Jaw tight, he reached for the shard of glass and yanked it out, hitching over and Dean winced on his behalf.

"Sam?"

"Don't. It's nothing."

"The hell it's not."

"Dean." Sam raised a hand then dropped it, letting the glass fall to the floor. "I'm gonna get back on my own from here." Shoulders tense, Sam turned and strode out the door, trailing little drops of blood behind him.

Dean stared after him, stunned. Because he'd seen it. Scars and wounds covered the kid's lower back, probably the tail ends of wounds higher up across his back. And they weren't healed, not by a long shot, judging by the pink puckering skin ready to break open at the least jarring. Weeks old maybe, at the most, a few months.

Dean thought about how stiff and slow Sam had been this entire time since he'd found him at the cabin after escaping Purgatory. He thought Sam had just been his usual tight-ass self, maybe feeling an inkling of remorse for abandoning Dean, which served him right…

But if he'd given up hunting for a year, where the hell did he get those wounds?

He drove around the area, keeping an eye out for a lanky brooding—and bleeding—pain in his ass, unsure of what he was feeling. Anger definitely. That had been an underlying current for weeks. He'd fought an entire year to get back to his brother, while Sam had left him to rot. He hadn't even looked, so yeah, Dean was pissed, even though he'd kept any remarks to himself after the haunted penny made him nearly shoot Sam and Sam's patience of taking it finally broke, because even under all Dean's anger, his biggest fear still was Sam walking out on him.

And wasn't that the whole crux of the matter anyway, because when Dean needed Sam most, when he was at his most vulnerable in Purgatory, Sam had walked away.

Dean's hands tightened around the steering wheel. The hell with it. The hell with Sam. Who needs him? He certainly didn't need him in Purgatory. He turned into the lot of the first bar he came to.

~~~SPN ROCKS~~~

He rolled into the motel a little after three in the morning, not as drunk as he wanted to be. It was hard to get the whiskey down with the image of those unhealed wounds twisting his throat. Wounds Sam wouldn't let him see or help him take care of. Oh Sam had been straight up with him from the jump, all right. He rolled his eyes.

Well, he was done with that. Dean was getting a look at those scars and Sam was coming clean right the hell now.

Except…Sam wasn't in the room.

Dean's gaze immediately flicked to Sam's duffel by the wall and then to his laptop on the scuffed coffee table.

Sam never made it back?

He checked the bathroom even as he pulled his cell out, punching Sam's number.

Busy.

Flying back out to the car, Dean retraced what he thought should have been Sam's route. It was a small town, their motel wasn't that far from Miss. Henrietta's haunt in the seedier section of town. But no sulking brother, so Dean went in the opposite direction, criss-crossing streets. He checked the other bars in town, half of the hotels, he even woke up a nice old lady who ran the B&B, before he checked the single hospital and the two local clinics.

And came up terrifyingly empty.

Dean dragged back into the motel around six in the morning, scowling at the two empty beds, and called Sam's phone for the hundredth time. Still busy.

That's when he really got to work, getting on the laptop, first in an attempt to track Sam's burner phone, without any luck, and then researching any old cases, any indications of weird that signified their kind of job here that could have gotten the drop on his wounded and unsuspecting sasquatch of a brother, but the small town was quiet, inactive. There was nothing here but crazy Henrietta and they'd already taken care of her.

Dean stayed in town two more days, canvassing, interviewing anyone he thought might have seen Sam, but the trail was cold. It had never been warm to begin with.

Walking toward the Impala, Dean tried Sam's cell once again, like he had at least fifty times every day, and froze mid-step when it actually rang.

Heart pounding, Dean waited for Sam to pick up, but it rolled over to voice mail, one recorded just for him.

"Dean." Sam's voice was scratchy. "I'm okay." Dean's muscles went all syrupy with relief. "I can't…I can't keep doing this. I'm sorry. Just…don't look for me, all right? And Dean, be careful."

Dean stared ahead, frozen on the sidewalk, a cold numbness seeping into his bones.

Well, that was that then.

After everything they'd been through, Sam simply took off and couldn't be bothered to tell him until three days later on a friggin voice mail.

Anger imploded every nerve cell Dean had in his body, yet on the outside he remained coolly still.

Fine. Sam was done with this life. Done with him? He was done with Sam.

Throwing his cell phone against the wall of the barbershop hard enough that it shattered, Dean strode to the Impala, drove to the motel and packed his things, leaving Sam's duffel behind, and drove out of town.

~~~I LOVE SUPERNATURAL~~~

The first week, Dean took care of a wendigo in Phoenix, frying it extra crispy just because he could and it made him feel better.

The second week, he got a vague hit on Kevin Tran and followed it into New Mexico. Turned out the honor programs prophet had been there, but after three days of searching, Kevin and Tiger Momma were long gone, half-way to China if the airline itinerary that had been planted for him to find was to be believed. Kevin was too smart to leave stuff like that lying around so it had to be a code, one he could use Sam's help in figuring out.

Dean's gut clenched at the thought of his little brother living the white picket happy as a clam without him.

And as the Impala's fender turned east toward Texas, Dean told himself he just wanted one glimpse of the girl Sam was willing to leave his brother's ass in Purgatory for, not that he couldn't get the sight of Sam's injured back out of his head. So what if they were the last thing he closed his eyes to every night and what he woke up to every morning?

Because yeah, he was furious with Sam, but those wounds…they didn't add up.

He was at least going to get an explanation for those. Sam owed him that much.

~~~WINCHESTERS~~~

Amelia Richardson of Kermit, Texas was not difficult to find. Dean followed her from the veterinary clinic to a modest one-level 1000 square foot home.

She was a pretty little thing, wholesome, a girl who fit right into normal. He got why Sam would be attracted to her.

He waited outside in the shadows between two neighboring houses. The Impala was parked three blocks away out of sight.

As it darkened, he grew anxious to get his first glimpse of Sam, make sure the kid was okay before he drilled him a new one. He glanced at his watch, annoyed at how late Sam must work at his apple pie job, when a tall shape moved onto the sidewalk.

Sam?

Dean squinted. Just some guy out for a smoke. Except the guy was watching Amelia's place like someone casing the joint. The hackles on the back of Dean's neck rose and another man shifted into view on the opposite side of the street.

Watching Amelia. Waiting to ambush Sam? Keeping to the shadows, Dean eased closer for a better look, noting telltale giveaways to subtle movements. He'd been in the company of a vampire long enough to recognize their kind when he saw one. The way they hitched their heads at the slightest whisper of movement, the way their faces lifted, leading with a caught scent instead of sound.

Dean's fingers twitched. What were vampires doing watching his brother's place? He itched to have his Purgatory blade and slash through them, but it was blocks away in the Impala's trunk. Besides, answers before beheadings.

He drew back and made a wide circuit around the houses, hopping the short chain-link to come through Amelia's back yard. The door wasn't locked, sills weren't salted. Dean's jaw clenched at the carelessness and entering, eased the door closed behind him.

A black and white mutt yipped and scurried under the couch. Leave it to Sam to have a chicken dog.

At the fridge, the woman turned. Dean was on her before she could cry out, pinning her against the counter, hand over her mouth.

"Don't scream."

Eyes wide, she nodded.

Unconvinced, Dean lifted his hand barely a fraction. "Where's Sam?"

"You're not one of those…" Her eyes flicked toward the front window. "You're not a vampire?"

So she knew about vampires. Dean removed his hand and gave his head a tight shake. "Where's my brother? Where's Sam?"

If possible, her eyes widened even larger. "Dean?"

He gave her a little shake. "Sam."

Her lashes blinked rapidly. "If he's not with you, then he's back with _Him_."

Amelia's hands started fluttering. "The…the main vampire. The one in charge of all the others." She turned back toward the counter and grabbed a bottle of scotch. Good idea.

"Pour me one too."

She glanced over her shoulder and nodded.

Sighing heavily, Dean sank into one of the kitchen chairs. "This vampire, you seen him?"

"Once." She brought over two glasses and nodded.

"Black guy. Bald. Takes two seconds between every word?"

"That's him."

The Alpha Vamp. Dean pointed for her to take a seat. "Talk."

"It's a Persephone Deal."

"A what?"

"Sam called it that. You know Persephone from mythology?"

"Lived six months with Hades, six months up top. Yeah, I know. What's that have to do with Sam and the Alpha Vamp?"

Amelia took a big swallow. "Sam made the same deal with the vampire. Just not on the same time schedule."

Stomach clenching, Dean nodded for her to go on.

"He'd been with the vampire for a while the first time, before I met him. I don't know what he did to Sam, but he was messed up—more emotionally that time, I mean—not thinking clearly. He hit a dog." Amelia smiled sadly.

"Two months pass and Sam all of a sudden says he has to go, that he's sorry, he never should have gotten as close as he did, and then he leaves. I thought I'd never see him again, but a few more months go by and these guys drag him to my door. I didn't know they were vampires at first. Sam explained later. Much later. He was—Dean, they hurt him. Bad. But it was weird. The head guy…"

"Alpha Vamp."

"He looked almost…regretful, like he'd gone too far and couldn't help it. Anyway, he told me to do what I could for Sam and that he was entrusting me with him for a few months. He said to keep him healthy while he replenished until he came for him again, then he left, but I've had vampires watching ever since, I think to make sure I don't run off before I'm needed for Sam again.

"It's been like that for months. I get Sam just about to full health and then they come for him again and Sam always goes without protest."

Dread filled Dean's belly as she talked. "But why? Why make a deal with the Alpha Vamp?" He had the sinking feeling he already knew.

Amelia's gaze snapped up. "Don't you know? He didn't tell you?" Her chin quivered. She was getting angry. "For you. He made the deal to get you out of Purgatory."

"For a whole year?" He didn't want to believe it. He'd thought Sam not caring and walking away had hurt, but this? It was so much worse.

Sam willing to be the Alpha Vamp's whipping boy to get him out? Shaking, he rushed to what he hoped was the bathroom—it was–and fell to his knees before the porcelain throne. By the time everything he'd eaten for the past few days was swirling down the toilet and he'd splashed water from the sink over his face, Amelia leaned against the doorjamb and handed him a towel.

"Thanks. Do you know exactly what this Persephone deal entails?"

"Only that the vampire as a true denizen of Purgatory would be able to open a gateway on a specific day in a yearly cycle. I don't know what the vampire wanted from Sam. He wouldn't tell me." Her lips tightened. "Just the pleasure of beating him I guess." She stared hard at Dean.

Blood, was Dean's first thought. The vampire wanted Sam's blood. Or a simple drawn-out revenge.

He walked past her toward the back door. The dog whined.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to get my brother."

She nodded. "Good."

"Actually, I could use your help."

"I'm always watched."

Dean's smile turned wicked. "You won't be after ten minutes." Grabbing a pen and magnetic shopping list paper off her fridge, he jotted down an address. "Think you can get here?"

She nodded.

"Good. Grab any medical supplies you think Sam might need and wait for us there." He met her gaze. "Are you willing to do that?"

"You take care of those vampires out front and I'll be there."

"My pleasure." He needed their cell phones anyway because he was betting at least one of them had to call in reports to the Alpha and once he had that number, he'd have the location.

He slipped out the back, heading for the Impala. The Purgatory blade was going to get some action tonight after all.

As he walked, he pulled out his cell, punched the number and waited for the other end to pick up.

"Benny. One question and you better answer me true. Did you have any upside help getting that gateway to work?"

"_Whoa, brother, what are you getting at? Only help I had was yours amigo."_

"All right." Dean sighed. "Had to ask."

"_What's going on?"_

"Benny, I need a favor."

~~~SPN FOREVER~~~

It was a different mansion in a different state, but it had the stink of the Alpha Vamp all over it. Like he had done with Sam a year before, Dean took the direct route and busted in through the front door, Purgatory blade swinging. By the time he found the Alpha Vamp in a large study, Dean had swung the crossbow up from around his back.

"Dean. I wondered how long it would take you to figure it all out." The ancient vampire sat calmly in the center of a leather soda, one leg crossed on top of the other, a crystal goblet of thick blood in his hands.

"I just want Sam." He lifted the crossbow fractionally. "That's all."

"He's here of his own volition."

Dean shook his head. "I'm back now. Deal's off."

The vampire set the blood down on a side table. "It doesn't work that way. Dean."

"This cross bolt says it does. See, funny thing: Leviathans are gone, but if you look hard enough, you can still find their products laced with SucroCorp sweeteners. Bet you really have to watch what you eat nowadays."

The vampire's eyes tightened, looking at the wet end of the bolt in Dean's crossbow, before his gaze shifted minutely to the side.

Dean reacted instantly, going for his Purgatory blade in his belt to lob off the new threat, but before he had the crossbow lowered, the intruding vampire's head detached from its neck in a spray of blood. A second vampire coming up behind Dean froze in his tracks.

As the body hit the carpet, Benny grinned at Dean. "Started without me?" He swung back toward the Alpha who was now on his feet. "You. Stay."

The vampire stopped, dark eyes sharp on Benny. "You betray your brethren."

Benny shook his head. "My _brethren_ betray me."

"And me? It's not possible."

Benny twirled the bloody machete in his hand and shrugged. "I owe no allegiance. Cool trick, since I've returned from Purgatory, all your one-way chatter in my head…" He flicked his fingers like an explosion. "Gone. I'm my own man. Well, vampire."

The Alpha looked Benny over with a calculating gleam that Dean did not like. "Interesting."

Dean shifted in front of Benny. "Not your concern. Sam. Now."

"Very well. Dean. I'll let you see him." He nodded to the other vampire. "Bring Samuel in here now. Quickly."

Dean watched the vampire go, his thumb twitching on the crossbow.

The Alpha Vamp sat back down as though he hadn't a care in the world. "I'll never give him up, you realize. He's become a bit of a…necessity to me."

Dean's heart sank. "Meaning you're addicted."

The Alpha frowned. "A distasteful term, yet I suppose fitting." His face took on a blissful expression. "You have no idea the quality of your brother's unique blood. Like ambrosia. And the power behind it." He visibly shivered and Dean was going to be sick. "I can offer the same terms to you, Dean, as I did with the little veterinarian. You can have Sam at your side, roaming the countryside in your quaint little car… For a time. I only need him for a few months now and then to sustain me."

He was serious? Dean looked harder and saw it. King Vamp was afraid he'd grow reckless and inadvertently kill Sam, halting off his special blood supply. He needed Sam away from him to heal and replenish the blood loss.

"No."

The doors opened and even though Dean knew it was going to be bad, he wasn't prepared for the limp bloody form being dragged in between two vampires. The urge to drop all weapons and rush to Sam was overwhelming. He was shirtless, head hanging down so that Dean couldn't even see his face, but he knew Sam was in pain. Even without the way his bare foot dragged inward and his fingers were slack, the myriad of yellowing welts and slices—and damn lash marks—across his torso bore testimony to the agony Sam had endured, was still enduring. Dried blood ringed jagged bite marks above the insides of each wrist.

"If this is about his blood, why the beatings?" Dean seethed, ready to release the bolt into the vampire this minute. The moment Sam was clear...

The vampire shrugged. Fucking shrugged. "Another addiction of sorts." He stood and went to Sam, lifting his face so Dean could see more bruising and blood running down the side of his face. "Samuel is so beautiful, lovely when he cries out in his pain."

Every muscle Dean had went rigid. _Sick bastard_.

"Samuel," the Alpha vamp purred. "Wake up."

As though even his consciousness was trained to obey the vampire, Sam's head bobbed, then lifted, disoriented eyes flickering in fear and resolve to what he'd be enduring next. Dean felt like howling.

"Samuel, your brother's here."

Sam's body jerked against the monsters. His eyes tracked wearily around the room, resting questioningly on Benny, until he found Dean. His features crumpled. "No, De'n. You can't be 'ere," he slurred. "De'n, you 'ave to go." Then to the Alpha: "You promised. I kept my part. You 'ave to let De'n go."

"I kept my word. Dean came here on his own. Tell him, Samuel. Tell him that you belong to me by your own choice."

"De'n."

"No, Sam. You listen to me. Your pal here is lying. He didn't open any gateway. He didn't get me out. Benny did. So this deal you got going, it's void. He didn't live up to his end of the bargain. Look at his face, really look. You'll see I'm telling the truth."

It was a herculean effort for Sam to tilt his head up, but he did, and Dean knew the moment he saw it, the gloating lies written all over the smug son of a bitch.

"Oh God," Sam whimpered, realizing how he'd been played.

"Benny." Ready for this to be over, Dean nodded for Benny to retrieve Sam while he kept the bolt tipped with the SucroCorp corn syrup steady on the Alpha.

Benny shifted forward, but anticipating it, the Alpha grabbed Sam from between the other vampires in a blur of speed and held him against him with an arm across his chest that Sam slumped over. "I told you Dean. I'll never give him up. I own little brother. I'll drain him dry in front of you before I let you walk out of here with him. Do you want that for him, Dean?" Tilting Sam's head to the side to expose his neck, the ancient vampire's teeth dropped down into sharpened points.

And Dean released the bolt. It was the only thing he could do. Not into the Alpha where he knew it wouldn't do any good, not really, but into Sam's leg.

"You'll be dead after your first hit of blood."

The Alpha reared back and in a burst of rage, slashed his nails across Sam's stomach, and let the kid crumble to the floor. Knowing Dean would have to choose between not letting Sam bleed out or chasing him, he fled out of the room.

Growling, Dean ran after him long enough to see the vamp's fleeing back before racing back for Sam. While Benny grappled with one of the vampires, the other crouched low over Sam, eyes wide and dilated. Dean lopped his head off with one swing of his Purgatory blade. The second head bounced into his shoulder and away as Benny dispensed the other.

"Sorry mate." Benny dropped down beside him. "How is he?"

Dean shook his head. He honestly didn't know. Sam was out again and breathing shallowly.

But Sam flinched when Benny yanked the crossbow bolt out of his thigh.

"This doesn't have that SucroCorp shit on it at all." Benny tossed it down. "You were bluffing."

Dean shrugged. "Can't find that crap anywhere."

Benny laughed. "That's why you shot Sam. If you shot the Alpha, he'd know immediately. You're one crafty S. O. B."

"You should see me at cards."

"I got him. You take point." Benny said, lips curling down when Dean didn't start moving. "I'm a vampire, I can take his weight easier. You watch our backs long enough to get out of here. You with me, brother?"

Dean nodded. Now that the Alpha Vamp was gone and he had Sammy, his adrenaline was crashing. He couldn't stop staring at all the wounds pebbling his brother's flesh.

"Good. Go." Benny gave him a shove to get going. "We're not out of this yet."

Right. That got through to him and Dean pulled Sam up by his arms, steadying him until Benny got him over his shoulder. They moved through the mansion quickly, Dean taking out two more vampires who got in his way. Halfway across the expansive lawn, Benny called out from behind.

"Dean. I can't."

Dean spun around expecting another vampire attack, but it was only Benny, slowing, an agonized look on his face.

"You got to take him." Benny's head canted, his jaws cracked. The sharp row of vampire teeth dropped down. Instinctively, Dean lifted his blade.

Benny's gaze flicked to it and he shook his head, lowering to shift Sam off his shoulders. "Just take him. His blood…with all these open wounds… The Alpha was right. It's intoxicating. Take him and go. I'm sorry. I can't be near him like this."

Nodding, Dean slipped his blade back in his belt and went to grab Sammy. Too heavy to lift, he pulled Sam's arm over his shoulder and hitched him to his side. "You going to be okay, Benny?"

Bent over, hands on his knees, physically fighting the draw of Sam's blood, Benny nodded. "Yeah, I'll cover your backs here, and then disappear into the wind. Sorry, brother, until he's all healed up, I can't meet up with you as planned."

Lips pressed tight, Dean nodded again. "Right. Be good, Benny."

"Been on the wagon this long." Straightening, he grinned.

Dean grinned back. "Thanks. For this. I owe you."

"We owe each other. Now go."

And he did, practically carrying Sam along with him until they burst out of the ornamental gates and he got Sam into the Impala, scrunching the long body into the passenger seat, with his head on Dean's knee while he sped away, stripping out of his outer shirt and pressing it tight against the open gashes the Alpha Vamp left in Sam's stomach.

"Come on, kid, just hold on. I'm getting you to help."

~~~SPN~~~

"His blood pressure's too low. We're going to have to transfuse him right now."

Fortunately, Amelia had been prepared for that, and had the equipment already set up in the motel Dean had sent her to while she waited for them. They worked in tandem, cleaning out wounds, stitching the worse ones up. Despite all the bruising, they only found one broken rib, a few fingers in Sam's right hand broken, and his ankle was twisted. With rest, the transfusion, and baring any infection, Sam would eventually be okay.

Dean frowned down at his sleeping brother, wondering really how either of them would ever be okay again.

The dog whined, scratching at the bathroom door. Dean had put him in there, afraid he would interfere with the sterile environment Amelia had set up across the clean sheets on the bed when it was clear the mutt wouldn't quit trying to jump up and lick Sam's face.

Amelia drew him out of his quiet musings. "I've checked into a room a few doors down. I don't want Riot carrying on all night and disturbing Sam. That's the last of the plasma. You know how to detach it once it's finished?"

Dean nodded. "I got it. Thanks. Really Amelia. Thank you for all this… And for taking care of him when I wasn't here."

She smiled tightly and pushed her wild hair back. "I know a lot of this wasn't my choosing, but for what it's worth, for Sam…" She looked down at him. "I would have done it any way."

Yeah, Sam had that kind of effect on people. She reached up and kissed Dean on the cheek. "Thank you for coming back and making this nightmare end." Then she sat down next to Sam, smoothed his sweaty hair back from his pale face, and leaned down to kiss him.

Dean looked away, giving her at least that much privacy. Sam didn't stir, just slept on. Nodding to herself, Amelia got up, went to the bathroom and grabbed the dog by the collar before he could bound up on the bed and undo all their hard work. She stopped at the door and looked back at Sam. "He's going to be okay."

"I know. He's tough."

Swallowing tightly, she dragged the dog with her out the door, closing it behind her with a sharp click. He had the vague impression that this was the last they'd be seeing of Amelia, that when he checked on her in the morning, she'd be gone, escaping to her own life of normal, free of monsters…and his heart took a little tumble at the hit this would take on Sam's already bruised heart.

Dean stared at the door. Sam could have done worse. He could have done a whole lot worse. Pulling the chair over to the side of the bed, Dean sank down, wondering when he'd made the decision to let Sam have his normal life and his girl, if that's what they both wanted. And feeling immensely sad that Sam wasn't going to get the choice. Because Dean could read people. The girl was going to be long gone.

It was around two in the morning when Sam started stirring. When the uneasy moaning turned into all-out thrashing, Dean worried Sam would pull out his stitches.

"Hey, easy." One knee on the bed, Dean checked Sam's forehead for fever. He was more cold than warm, but blood loss would do that. That left pain and nightmares.

Amelia had left plenty of meds on the nightstand and Dean had two Oxycontin out and ready.

"Sam, come on, wake up. I'm gonna give you something."

"No. No more." Sam turned to his side, and stiffened in pain.

Nightmare then.

And thrashing around while every side of your body, front and back, was riddled in wounds couldn't feel good. He had to stay still and Dean had to get him calm and awake enough to swallow the pain pills.

So Dean climbed into the bed, back against the headboard and pulled Sam up against him, wrapping him into his arms.

"It's okay, it's okay, just calm down. I have you."

"De'n?" Sam finally went still, his long torso burrowing across Dean's chest so that the side of his face rested along the side of Dean's opposite arm. Dean brought his other hand up around the kid's shoulder.

"Yeah, it's me. You're safe now. You're never going to have to go back."

"But…"

"The Alpha Vamp's taken care of. I promise. You're never going back."

A long shudder rolled through Sam and his breathing grew shallow. Dean felt warm moisture on his arm where Sam's face was pressed. Hell, Sam was crying and that undid him in ways he couldn't have imagined. Big Bad Purgatory Hunter brought to his knees by his kid brother. He was glad Sam couldn't see the tears in his eyes.

"I never stopped, Dean." Sam's voice was soft, wet with emotion. "I never stopped looking for you."

Dean rested his cheek on top of Sam's head. "I know, Sammy. I know."

**_Fin_**

Usual Disclaimer applies: Duh. Don't own nuttin.


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